Chuck D

Rapper, producer, and political activist Chuck D. rose to prominence through his work in groundbreaking rap group Public Enemy. Born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, the Queens native was studying graphic design at Adelphi University when he started making flyers for hip-hop shows and DJing at the student radio station, WBAU. At WBAU, Ridenhour met future Public Enemy producers Hank Shocklee and Bill Stephney; through the latter's work at Def Jam, the then-named Chuckie D's demo track "Public Enemy No. 1" attracted the attention of Rick Rubin, who began courting Ridenhour to sign to his label.